


If Only in My Dreams ...

by debwalsh



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Christmas, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gay Bucky Barnes, Holidays, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, M/M, Marvel Happily Ever After Hallmark Holiday Prompt Challenge 2019, Marvel hea holida, Marvel hea holiday, Pining, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:22:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21782881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debwalsh/pseuds/debwalsh
Summary: In which New York attorney Bucky Barnes gets stranded at the airport with the last car denied him in his hour of need.  He’s rescued when a handsome guy offers him a ride to town as a blizzard bears down on the area.And that’s how Bucky Barnes finds himself snowed in with Steve Rogers ... with extra pine ... for the holidays ...Written for the Happily Ever After Marvel - Holiday Movie Event, Prompt 15:15. Stranded at an airport at Christmastime, Character A accepts a ride from Character B, who has just rented the last car in town.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 43
Kudos: 299
Collections: MHEA Holiday Movie Challenge 2019





	1. Stranded at the Airport

**Author's Note:**

> 15Dec19 Update: The event has been renamed Happily Ever After Marvel - 2019 Holiday Movie Event in the wake of Hallmark caving to conservative pressure to not air the same-sex wedding commercial as contracted. I don’t think anyone realistically believed Hallmark would start making gay-themed cheesy romances, but I think it’s safe to say we expected them to live up to their commitments. They haven’t.
> 
> I’m leaving the rest of this intact, since it’s commentary on Hallmark’s reach and influence, which makes their decision all the more disappointing and harmful.
> 
> &&&
> 
> I am working on advancing all of my WIPs this month, but I recently stumbled across the Happily Ever After Marvel - 2019 Hallmark Event. And well ... I just couldn’t resist.
> 
> I don’t consider myself particularly romantic, and I have a complicated relationship with the holiday season. But there is something endearingly innocent and sweet - often to the point of saccharine - about the phenomenon of the Hallmark Christmas movie.
> 
> I don’t know how well known Hallmark is outside the US, but in the US, they’ve had a profound affect not only on pop culture, but on our national calendar, measures of devotion, even the perception of what love is. Through defining manufactured holidays and allocating all manner of additional (and extraneous) anniversaries, Hallmark has, in many ways, added to the national angst, the sense of falling short, of not being romantic enough, of what’s on offer being inadequate. 
> 
> Hallmark has done an exceptional job of marketing itself and its cards for all occasions. Hallmark has also done an exceptional job of marketing certain flavors of love and devotion.
> 
> But oddly, the Christmas - and other flavors of holidays - that come alive in the typical Hallmark movie are like mind candy, fun, tasty, and not mentally taxing. They might tug on our heart strings, but the formula is the same throughout - love wins out, and A always ends up with their soulmate, B. It’s comforting and it’s safe, and there are never any Nazis or trash parties.
> 
> They are addictive. 
> 
> They are also trope-producing powerhouses. 
> 
> So ... here we go ...

“Thanks, Bruce.I appreciate the head’s up,” Natasha Romanoff said with a defeated smile.“Yeah.Yeah, you’re right, something would have to happen sooner or later.I was really hoping for later.”She looked up and waved James Barnes into her office, indicating her visitor chair with stab of her lacquered-nail index finger while she juggled the phone set between her chin and shoulder.

He settled into the chair and folded his hands over his mid-section, brow furrowed as he listened to her half of the conversation.

“Yeah, no, I get that.It puts me in a tight spot, because I don’t know how I’ll raise the capital without that - yeah.Yeah.Maybe you’re right.It’s just ... this couldn’t come at a worse time.You know his reputation.”The smile she flashed at James was brittle, pained, and the tightening around her eyes told him that whatever prompted the call, it was bad.He was wondering if it was dust off the old resume bad, or your best friend has cancer bad.“Uhm-hum, yeah.Yeah, we’ll need to do that. Soon.Okay.I’m gonna give it a think, and yeah, maybe we could get together for a drink and brainstorm.I appreciate it, Bruce.Yeah, thanks.”

She hung up the receiver carefully, glaring at it like it had shit on her ficus.Then she looked up at James with wide, panicked eyes.

So, dust off the resume bad.

&&&

James’s day was a series of missed connections and frustrating waits.It felt like he’d died and gone to a Hell that was full of waiting areas populated by gross old men, imperious grandmothers, and howling banshees masquerading as children.His stomach was roiling from the bad coffee and worse turbulence, and his ears rung from abrupt changes in altitude and creepy cougars who didn’t understand the idea of actual physical boundaries, thank you very much.If he were a lesser man, he’d have admitted defeat hours ago, and arranged for a return flight to take him home.But he was a man on a mission, so there was no turning back, but he despaired of ever actually reaching his destination.

He was also beginning to believe that not only had he actually died in transit, this was his afterlife, punishment for some misdeed he’d long forgotten.

And then, after what seemed like centuries en route, the puddle jumper he was on was finally on approach, when they had to circle the little airport while a private plane landed safely first.And then finally - fucking finally - they were descending, and the landing gear engaged with a satisfying thump.

They deplaned by stairway - stairway! - on the tarmac, and the first snowflakes were swirling as he exited the plane.His breath puffed in the frigid air, and he was glad he’d shrugged on his warmest winter jacket and all-weather gloves as he made his way down the stairway and across to the terminal, the lights already going hazy in the rapidly forming storm.By the time he reached the door to the terminal, he could barely see even a few inches in front of him, the snow was coming down so hard.

As soon as he got inside, he shook off the heavy coating of snow, hurried up to the first official-looking person he found, asked where the car rental place was, and was off and running, first to baggage claim where he impatiently waited for his suitcase (padded with his favorite pillow, thank you very much - hotel stuff never came up to snuff).Then it was a sprint to the car rental desk.

Which was closing down, the light on the logo off, and the young guy at the desk was just flipping the “be back tomorrow at 7” sign around.

“Hi, I had a reservation,” he began, and the young man - Chad, according to his nameplate - looked up in alarm.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but the system is down - the weather.We’re at blizzard conditions already, and it’s just gonna get worse.And even if I could process your reservation, I don’t have anything that can handle this weather.I’d be sending you to your doom,” the guy answered, a little too brightly for someone who just remanded Bucky to enforced airport living.

“I can’t just stay here, I have a hotel reservation at Potts Inn, appointments to make -” he protested, and the guy looked apologetic, but he shrugged. 

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing -“

“Can I help?” came a deep voice that shivered down Bucky’s spine in the most delicious of ways.He turned to face his hopefully would-be rescuer, only to have to look up into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen, an overgrown beard kind of resembling a muskrat on the lower half of his face, a wall of muscle he just wanted to dive face-first into, and a should to waist ratio that was ...

Yeah.Steve Rogers.The author he’d been sent to this godforsaken place to cajole into signing a contract with.

The object of more than one (okay, most) of his sex fantasies for the past ... yeah, he wasn’t willing to admit how long even to himself.

His jaw was swinging on its hinge, he knew.Steve just smiled his big-ass gorgeous smile and said, “I can give you a ride.And do I detect a bit of Brooklyn in your voice?Nice to hear the mother tongue.Steve Rogers,” he added, extending his giant paw of a hand at Bucky.

FHL.

&&&

Bucky of course knew this was Steve Rogers, the author/artist he’d been sent to track down.He’d seen him on book covers, on talk shows, on house promotional materials.He’d seen him from a distance on the rare occasions when Steve had visited the office, looking every inch the Daddy Bucky didn’t even know he sometimes craved when he came in for official stuff.The whole overgrown lumberjack look worked for Bucky, too, and he had to remind himself he was here to do a job, a quick in and out, be the savior to the company and Nat, not to fulfill any recurrent fantasies.

He quelled any lingering ... interest ... and smiled brightly at the kind man who offered him a ride.He was happy to hitch a ride with the man he came to see.He was happy to see Steve, happy to grab his stuff only to have Steve pull it out of his hands and carry it like it was nothing, and happy to trail after him through the terminal and through the overpass and across to the long-term parking garage level.Happy to watch that pert ass move, those thick thighs power his body forward, that smile he tossed so casually over his shoulder, causing Bucky’s chest to seize (and other parts to perk up) every time.

Yes, he was happy.

It was also evident that he was screwed, and not in the most optimal way.But hey ... he was one step closer to success, right?

Steve’s car was an all-terrain vehicle, a sort of truck with serious tires.Bucky supposed he should know more about cars and stuff, but he’d never been interested beyond “can it go?” and “can it go fast?” Since this vehicle had been inside, it was blissfully free of snow or ice.Steve stowed Bucky’s stuff in the back alongside his own things, and Bucky relaxed, registering that he was down and safe, and he’d already tracked down his mission.He just had to seal the deal now.Without any complications owing to a long-held crush on the mission in question.

Once everything was in place, Steve started up the car/truck thing, and it came to life without complaint.Then they passed through the kiosk where Steve inserted his card to pay for his parking, and then the world seemed to stop cold as they faced a wall of white.

“Got in just in time,” Steve muttered as he paused, assessing.Then he nodded to himself, put the wipers on their highest setting, and moved out into the maelstrom.By the time they’d passed out of the airport itself, Steve relaxed, and started making conversation, light stuff, non-invasive.It was kind of soothing to make small talk with a beautiful man while the world beyond the car looked like the apocalypse had begun.

As they conversed, Steve asked Bucky what he was in town for, and Bucky weighed his options before speaking.He decided that the truth was probably his best bet with Steve Rogers, and so he told him that he was there to secure a contract with Steve, but he didn’t tell him at first it’s because Nat needed Steve to be contracted in order to have collateral for a loan to buy the publishing house before Alexander Pierce bought it.She didn’t want Steve to know the house was in trouble if she could avoid it, or that if she already had him locked in under contract, the bank would’ve already approved the loan for her to do a buy out.

Steve grimaced and told Bucky no, and they continued in a tense silence.Then, the highway up ahead was blocked off thanks to a jackknifed tractor trailer, and Steve informed Bucky that the way into town was impassable until the trailer was removed and the emergency crew reopened the road.

“Aren’t there other roads?”

“They’ll be in worse shape than this.Back roads are the last to be plowed, and the crews are going to have their hands full keeping the main roads clear.This thing hit sooner and harder than anyone expected.Shit.”

“So, uh, what now?”

Steve sat there with his hands wrapped around the steering wheel, staring into the night where the road flares marked out the safe perimeter around the accident.They could barely see the emergency crews working to right the truck and clear the roadway.It was all obscured and gauzy, seen through the heavy curtain of snow that fell around them. 

Inside the truck, they were warm and safe, but outside, the snow continued to thicken - as if that were possible - and the crews seemed to be losing the battle to keep the road clear as the snow piled up.The wind was starting to pick up, too, causing the snow to slant toward the downed vehicle, shaking the truck itself a bit.Not as bad as in a car, but enough to make its presence known, even in the all-terrain vehicle.

“You have a reservation?” Steve asked then.

“Yeah.At the Potts Inn.I prepaid so they should still have my room held - made sense with the holidays just around the corner -“

“Call them and tell them you’re bunking in with me tonight. It’ll be safer if we backtrack to my place, and I can take you in when the storm moves out and the roads are cleared.”

It took a breath for Bucky’s brain to come back online.Bunking with Steve conjured up way too many inappropriate scenarios, all playing out at the same time in the cesspit that was Bucky’s imagination.With a pinch to his own thigh, Bucky willed his lascivious imagination under control, and choked out, “I don’t want to put you out -“

“Honestly, it’s safer for me if I don’t have to travel the back roads in this storm twice.So you’d be doing me a favor by not asking me to go all the way to town tonight.”

“Then thanks.I appreciate your hospitality.”Bucky pulled out his phone and checked for bars.“I’m amazed I’m getting any reception in this storm.”

“There’s a tower nearby, so you should be good.At least for now.”

Bucky nodded and set about making that call.Ms. Potts, the proprietor, was sweet as could be, and promised to apply his pre-payment whenever he was able to make it into the inn.Then she instructed Bucky to give Steve her love, let him know the cabin was stocked, and tell him he needed to stop by for a proper visit soon. 

Steve shouted his thanks and his blessings upon Pepper’s house, grinning all the while.

After Bucky ended the call, he was curious.“You don’t go into town much?”

“Don’t really need to.Plus I’ve been away.You’re lucky you caught me - I just landed shortly before I met you.”

“Wait, that private plane was yours?”

“I don’t fly commercial.I don’t trust anyone else at the controls.It’s a ... It’s something I just need, is all.And I needed to do some research.On-site research.Needed to get the feel of the place, the vibe.I know it’s not environmentally friendly, but sometimes I just ... I just need to see the place from the air, get a sense of the space, and then explore on the ground.I took a lot of photos, did a bunch of sketches - might be a book in it, actually, separate from the novel.And then I stopped at home to see Ma.Now I’m back.”

“Where’s home?”

“Same as you.Brooklyn.”

“You flew in from New York?Damn, I could’a hitched a ride.”

“If I’d known you were coming, I would’ve told you not to come.Nat knows I don’t need a contract.We shook on it.That’s good enough for me.”

“Don’t you think a contract would offer you ... protections?”

“I trust Nat with my life.I don’t need any protections.Do you get some kind of bounty for getting me to sign a contract?”

“Bounty?No,” Bucky shrugged, staring out into the white that surrounded the truck like wraiths hungry for souls.“I go where Nat tells me to go. I handle contracts if that’s what she needs, but mostly I work in editorial.I love the flexibility, to be honest.”

“How long’ve you worked there?”

“Ten years.”

“Funny we’ve never met before.”

Bucky turned back to look at the strong profile, the jaw set against the elements, the beard that looked like it was a week or two past the need for a trim, the lock of dirty blond hair that hung over the broad forehead, brows furrowed in concentration over a nose that had healed more than once, and the glint of snow swirling reflected in shimmering blue eyes.He looked, and he swallowed, mouth dry.He’d seen Steve on his rare visits to see Nat, held each one of those glimpses close to his heart. 

But Steve had never seen him.

He turned again to watch the snow.“Yeah, funny.”

&&&


	2. Meet the Neighbors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky is asked to participate in a ruse when Steve stops in to collect his “kids.”
> 
> It may be fake ... but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t hope it could be real ...

They rode in silence while Steve concentrated on not wrapping them around a tree, and Bucky mentally cursed the day he met Natasha Romanoff. They’d been friends since college, and not only had he been there the vodka-sodden evening when she’d sworn she’d have her own publishing company, he’d been vodka-soaked enough to pledge himself to help her make her dream come true.It’d taken a couple of years before he could join her at the company, but there’d never been any question that he’d end up with her once he graduated law school and passed the bar.

So yeah. Committed.Stuck?In it for the long-haul.

Most of the time, that was a source of joy in his life.He loved working with Nat.He loved what he did.Loved bringing beautiful works into the world.Their publishing house was small but choice.They occupied a comfortable niche in the publishing world, with a stable of up and coming authors and artists. 

Except for the man next to him, currently glaring the blizzard into submission.By the time Bucky had joined the house, Steve’s first book had already topped the NYT best seller list for eighteen months, the second another eight, and the third was just about to debut, already climbing up the list before it had even seen print.All of this proved he was no one-hit wonder, and Steve had continued to deliver one brilliant book after another over the past ten years.His success had rocketed the house to its own success, and Steve to be able to afford to live on the side of a mountain and fly a personal plane whenever he wanted to do research.

No wonder he and Nat were friends - they both were forces of nature, beyond mortal men’s ken ... he could easily imagine Nat arching a delicate eyebrow to chastise Mother Nature for tossing bad weather at her, and Mother Nature cowering in abject apology ...

He snorted at his own fancy, earning him a, “Hmmm?” from Steve.

“Oh, just picturing Nat facing down the storm.One guess who’d win.”

“No contest.Nat,” Steve replied with a fond smile.

“And yet she’s never won the battle with you over a contract.”

“Told you.I don’t need a contract with Nat.I trust her with my life.”

“Contract between friends doesn’t indicate a lack of trust, you know.It’s not protection from each other, but from outside influences.”

Steve was silent for a few moments, his gloved hands tight on the wheel, his chin thrust forward at he focused on the world barely visible through the thick swirl of snow.

“There something I should know?”

Well, hell, yes, there is.But he’d made a promise to Nat.And promises to Nat were like signing the devil’s book in blood.

“Nothing special,” Bucky answered.

“Hmmm.”

&&&

“Okay, last chance to escape,” Steve said enigmatically as he turned off the road onto a track that ended in a hazy nimbus of light.

“Huh?”

“Last bit of civilization before my place.Gotta make a pickup - can drop you off if you wanna try bunking in with the Wilsons.”

“That a hotel?”

“Neighbors.They’ve been watching my kids while I’ve been traveling.”

“Kids?”

“Yeah.Furi, my dog.And Maria, my cat.Sam and Riles are great with them.But hey - Riley is super uncomfortable with strangers.So, yeah, I was just teasing about dropping you off.”

“Well, I can just sit in the car while you get your kids -“

“I’ll be a while.There’s always kind of a reunion when I get back.We try to keep Riley’s routine as stable as possible.It helps with managing his anxiety.So I’ll be at least an hour.We’ll still be able to get to my place after.But if this keeps up, once we’re there, we’re there.For a while, anyway.”

“A while being ...?”

“Possibly several days.”

“Christmas is in three days.”

“Yeah.”

“So we’re spending Christmas together?I didn’t bring you anything. Except a contract to sign.”

“Thanks.You shouldn’t have.I mean that.So about Riley ... he’ll accept you in his space if I introduce you as ...” Steve paused to take a deep breath, “my boyfriend.”

“Your ... ?”

“Yeah.Look, we don’t have to be, you know, full of PDA.I’m just going to introduce you that way, unless you have a real objection -“

Bucky was silent for a breath.Two.Three.“No.No, I’m gay, so boyfriends are my jam.No, I can play along.Anything for the kids.”

“Great, thanks. Riley’s a great guy, but his time overseas really fucked with his world view.He and Sam are great for each other, and living out here has helped Riley settle back into his skin.But strangers in his space make him anxious, but I know if he believes you’re part of my life, he’ll accept you pretty quickly.Hey, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“Airplane food,” Bucky answered, making a little retching face.

“Gotcha.Another reason never to fly commercial,” Steve observed with a grin. “Okay.So odds are Riley will try to feed us.I recommend accepting.”

“The snow?”

“Will keep coming down.We’ll be able to get through, though.”

“And if we can’t?”

“Sam and Riley have a guest room.Oh - one problem, though.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, one bed.Not that big.We’d have to share,” Steve answered with a serious face, and Bucky felt his brain stutter and begin to go offline when Steve grinned again and said, “Nah.Whaddya think this is?One of those cheeesy Hallmark Christmas movies?”

“I’m beginning to wonder,” Bucky muttered as they pulled into a slightly lower elevation of snow, surrounded by mounds and piles. 

Beyond the veil of white was the homey glow of interior lamps and the sharper shine of exterior flood lights.Steve pulled the vehicle to a stop and the motor sputtered off, leaving them in a cocoon of sudden silence.Breathing deep, Steve turned and smiled at Bucky. “Nothing complicated, we met through the publishing house during one of my recent trips to New York.It’s all very new.”

“And you invited me over for a slumber party?” 

“I doubt Riley will ask - he’s private, and he respects other’s privacy.But if it’s asked, then holidays.We wanted to spend them together.”

“Okay,” Bucky said, even as his inner self was screaming, shrieking, running in circles with his hands flapping in the air.Steve might not remember him, but it almost didn’t matter.Future Bucky may curse him for what he was about to do, but Present Bucky?Present Bucky was on-board.Ten billion per cent.

&&&

“Bucky, huh?I don’t think I remember you talking about any ‘Bucky’, Rogers.Fella this pretty, think you’d’a been jabberin’ up a storm.But hey, where’re my manners - c’mon, get outta the storm, warm your asses.You’re staying for dinner,” the garrulous man with the goatee and the cute little gap between his front teeth commanded, jerking his head toward the living room beyond the little entryway.“And you,” he nodded toward Bucky, “are going to tell me your intentions toward Mr. ‘I Don’t Need Anyone, I Got My Books’ here.”

“Uh -“

“Don’t listen to him.He gets nowhere telling me and the kids what to do, so he needs to have someone to bark orders at.Once a sergeant, always a sergeant,” said another man with a fond smile toward the goateed man.He was flanked by an adorable golden retriever, tongue lolling from a goofy doggy grin, intelligent eyes dancing with humor as the man’s hand stroked deeply through the ruff at the dog’s neck.This must be Riley, making goatee-boy Sam.Bucky could see how the dog - Furi - seemed to anchor Riley, even as anxiety flickered on the edges of his expression.

“Geeze, Sam, nobody’s ever gonna wanna settled down with me if you’re gonna always give ‘em the fifth degree,” Steve complained with a shake of his head as he pulled the other man into his arms and thumped him on the back affectionately.Then he released him and crossed the living room to where Riley stood with Furi and stopped, smiling at the other man.

“How were they?” Steve asked gently.He made no effort to close the gap, or touch Riley, simply maintained a comfortable distance with body language that was relaxed and open. 

Riley smiled at him, warm and sweet.“Brilliant, as always.Her majesty is snoozing on the bed.Miss Furi here heard you pull up, but she’s been a perfect lady.”

“Only for you, Riley, only for you.She’s a hellion at home.”

“Well, maybe you should let her stay here with me,” he blurted, and the widened eyes and look of impending panic told Bucky that he hadn’t meant to say that, even if it was something he so clearly and desperately wanted.

“Um -“ Sam started to say, taking an involuntary step forward. 

Steve looked up and smiled.“Hey, Buck - come over and meet my best girl, huh?”

“Don’t let Miss Maria hear that,” Riley admonished, fidgeting nervously, his attention flicking back and forth between Steve and the dog.

Bucky came over, nodded a greeting at Riley, and dropped to one knee in front of the beautiful dog.She really did have an amazing temperament, gazing at him soulfully while she heeled impeccably at Riley’s side.“She looks very much at ease with you,” he said, looking up at Riley while he petted Furi’s head.She closed her eyes in bliss as he skritched behind one ear, and then reached over to do the same with the other.

“Yeah, she really does.Hey, tell you what - why don’t you keep her a little longer, hmm?We’re both exhausted after traveling, and it would be kinda nice to be able to just fall face first into bed.And sleep late tomorrow.Would you mind keeping her another night?Would you mind being her slave one more day?”

The relief and joy on Riley’s face was a beautiful thing to witness.“What about Maria?”

“She’s comfortable, right?She doesn’t like to be separated from this menace, so if you wouldn’t mind - hold onto them both for me?’

“Yeah, yeah, we can do that, man,” Sam agreed readily, clapping Steve on the back.“Now, Mr. Bucky, howsabout you help me set the table and you can tell me all about your plans for tall, blond, and hunky here?”

&&&

While Bucky helped Sam set the table, he learned that Sam and Riley had been together since they both served, more than ten years, that they’d settled here shortly before Steve bought his house and became their closest neighbor, a twenty minute drive up the slope, and that they’d stocked Steve’s house the day before so they wouldn’t starve while the storm closed off the roadway.“Gonna take longer than that in this weather.I know he agreed to let the animals stay here another night because Riley needed it so bad, but by the time you get to his place, it’s not gonna be fit to clear a path for Furi to do her business.We’ve got a protected space out the back door where she can do her do, and catch a few snowflakes before we call her in.Plus that gives you guys a little extra alone time,” he added with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.

Bucky chuckled, but inside he was thinking how nice it would be if that were the case.Once at Steve’s, they’d go their separate ways and Bucky would be left to pine in silence.So he did what anyone would do in a similar situation.He changed the subject.“Why not get a dog of your own?”

Sam grinned and looked over Bucky’s shoulder.He nodded and said, “Maybe Steve should clue you in.Since you’re gonna be going on the adventure together.I assume. Right Steve?With your new boyfriend you’ve never mentioned before. Ever.”

“Shush.I wanted to make Riley feel at ease with Buck,” Steve said then, briefly resting his hands on Bucky’s waist before removing them and grabbing napkins to set a pile at each place.

“So you invent a relationship?And then what?You tell Riley you broke up after Christmas?”

“He’ll be too distracted by his new pup by then to notice.Furi’s little brother will be ready to pick up right before Christmas,” Steve explained to Bucky.

“Oh.Oh, that’s great then.So Riley will have his own -“

“Not exactly a service dog, but a companion, one that’s his that he gets to train.”

“That’s nice.But what’s the deal with your dog’s name?Fury?”

“Furi.For Furiosa.Her breeder is a huge Tom Hardy fan.”

Sam chuckled at that.“Yeah, speaking of names - Bucky?Really?”

Bucky smiled and shrugged.“Nickname.My full name is James Buchanan Barnes.My little sister had trouble with James or Jamie, but somehow she could wrap her mouth around Bucky.It stuck.”

“Oh.James.Haven’t I heard something about a James, Steve?Was that you or ...?”

“Musta been somebody else,” Steve answered hurriedly.“Hey, I’m gonna check with Riles to see if he needs help with the oven, okay?”

And then Steve escaped the way he’d come, while Sam stood watching where he’d been, his expression sly as he murmured, “Mmm-hmmm.”

&&&

They had a nice dinner, an excellent meal that Riley had planned to share with Steve and hadn’t had any issue stretching it for one more.Furi sat at his side, glancing up at Riley and then looking adoringly at Steve to his right, and back again.If she was nervous or unhappy to be so close to someone who wasn’t her person, she showed no evidence.While they were eating, a sleek black cat sauntered out, sniffed the air, and then walked over to plant herself next to Furi, looking expectantly at Steve.

Steve arched an eyebrow at the cat, but then shook his head as he cut off a couple of pieces of his excellent steak, holding one out to the cat who tested the air delicately before accepting the offering.She allowed him to feed her several more pieces before walking away to groom herself.

“They’re both beautiful,” Bucky observed, glancing at the two animals. 

Steve looked up at him, beaming.“Yeah, they are,” he said softly, the expression of affection on his face one that Bucky would carry in his heart for years to come. 

If only someone looked at him with that kind of unfettered adoration.Talk about a cheesy Hallmark moment ...

Finally, they finished eating, had some coffee with some truly delicious apple cinnamon coffee cake - Bucky asked for the recipe, and so he and Riley swapped phone numbers and e-mails so Riley could send him it later, all under the growing disapproval of Sam Wilson’s eyebrows.

Right.There was a breakup coming in Bucky’s non-existent relationship with Steve.Why couldn’t Steve have introduced him as a friend from work?He liked Riley, and he thought Riley might benefit from friends outside his present circle - especially at the safe distance of e-mail or text.Well, it was too late now.

And then there were leftovers packed up and thrust into arms, and goodbyes, human, canine, and in a miracle of disdain, feline.And they were back in the car, tacking up the slippery roadway toward Steve’s home.

“Sam didn’t approve of me exchanging info with Riley.”

“Yeah. Because you’re not going to be around later, and he needs stability. That maybe wasn’t my best idea, but hey - Riley took to you better than I expected.”

The words stung, an unpleasant reminder that this had just been an act, even if it had felt like Santa had come early for Bucky Barnes.

“Think you letting him have your dog for another coupla days had a lot to do with that.And besides, I could still stay in touch.You know.After.”

“Maybe.But thanks for going along with it.Means a lot.They mean a lot to me, really.I ... just ... thanks.”

“Yeah, sure,” Bucky replied, wondering briefly what Steve might have said before he course corrected.“Least I could do when you’re opening your home for me.”

“Right.Yeah.We’ll be there shortly,” he answered, and then fell into silence as he urged the vehicle through the mounding snow.

&&&

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes, Hallmark rolled back their decision. But the challenge is still the Holiday Movie rather than Hallmark.


	3. On a Cold Winter’s Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bucky and Steve get to spend some time together alone, with hot chocolate, holiday movies, one bed, and a roaring fire ...

The garage door shuddered, groaned, and then heaved upward in a cascade of snow.The light in the overhead seemed so bright after the gray and white of the snow.Steve glanced at Bucky and grinned, and then nudged the vehicle toward the halo of light and the neatly organized space beyond the storm.

They rumbled forward, up over one mound, thudding back down again, then again, digging ruts into the virgin snow until they pushed through the last impediment and the tires made contact with the flat, dry floor of the garage.As soon as they were fully inside, Steve triggered the door to grind its way shut, and then they were enveloped in silence of a different nature as Steve turned off the ignition.

Then Steve blew out his breath softly, chuckling.“Okay.Let’s get into the house.I could do with a drink after that.”

“Ugh, me too.Thank you,” Bucky breathed, turning to Steve.

The single bulb overhead cast a small cone of light around them, but inside the cab, they were graven in gloom, and Bucky couldn’t really make out Steve’s features, just a sliver of light reflected off the curve of his eye, a flash against the white of his teeth as his lips drew back in a smile.

“My pleasure,” Steve whispered.“Let’s get inside.”

“Yeah.”

&&&

Inside was chilly, the heat having been left at the minimum level while the house was unoccupied.True to their promise, Sam and RIley had restocked the fridge and pantry, and left the receipt and an envelope on the kitchen counter.Steve flicked on the lights and shivered slightly.“I’ll fire up the heater and start a fire in the living room.There’s beer and wine in the fridge, but if you want anything harder, you’ll need to tap the bar in the living room.”

“I’m thinking hot chocolate with a shot in it - what about you?”

“I like the way you think.I have mix - in the cupboard.”

“No regular chocolate?”

“There’s some candy in the fridge -“

“I’ll improvise.You deal with the heat.”

So they each turned to a separate task, Bucky to making hot chocolate with what he could scrounge in the fridge - Steve definitely had a sweet tooth, as there were a number of different options from chocolate bits for cookies all the way to artisan chocolate with chilis.He made a judicious selection, and started to warm the milk and melt the chocolate.

Within a few moments, the heat sighed on, and he could feel the warmth brush past his cheek.He smiled at the domesticity of it, feeling like homecoming, preparing something warm and sweet while his beloved made sure their little bubble was safe and warm.

It was the stuff of fantasy. 

He let himself have it for the moment.The illusion would be shattered soon enough. 

He heard the snap of kindling, the shift in the air as the tinder took, the satisfied chuckle as Steve successfully lit the hearth. Then he could hear the opening of a door and a quick slam, followed by hurried footsteps.

“Um.”

Bucky turned, smiling, to find himself looking into Steve’s worried face.“What is it?”

“I forgot.The guest room ....”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m really not.”

“Seriously?”

“Sorry?”

“Got a couch?”

“That I have.But I promised you a bed.”

“Not gonna take yours. And please - let’s not - you know.”

“Hmm?”

“Do one of those cheesy Hallmark tropes.”

“I happen to like those cheesy Hallmark tropes.But okay.We’ll drink your hot chocolate -“

“Spiked.It has to be spiked.”

“Spiked hot chocolate.In front of the fire.And we can watch one of those cheesy Hallmark movies.”

“You’re not tired?”

“After that drive, I’m kind of wired.Could use some company - if you’re not too tired -“

“You did all the heavy lifting.”Bucky handed him a mug of steaming hot chocolate and nodded toward the living room.

The fire was now blazing in the hearth, and Bucky spied a collection of bottles in the built-in shelves to one side of the fireplace. “Whiskey?”

“Help yourself,” Steve waved toward the informal bar as he sat down on the huge sofa.So Bucky did, then held up the bottle, waggling it just a little.Steve held his mug out with a grin. 

“You just wanted to be waited on.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“So where’s the TV?Thought we were watching a movie.”

“Ah!” Steve replied, leaning over to grab a wide laptop from a side table.He opened it and booted up, smiling to himself.“Ah, fully charged. And yeah, Internet - so helpful,” he added as he pulled out his phone and thumbed it open, probably to tether to a hotspot.Then he settled the laptop on the coffee table and looked up at Bucky.“Seriously, we don’t have to watch cheesy - guest’s choice.”

Bucky grinned at Steve, put the bottle of whiskey down on the end table, and plopped himself down next to Steve.

“Great.Die Hard it is!”

&&&

Bucky woke slowly, feeling warm, safe, and like he was floating on a cloud.He could feel the light beyond his eyes, but he didn’t want to open them.Instead, he wanted to continue luxuriating in the firm embrace, snuggle into the cushy and oh-so-warm surface that cradled his cheek, his whole body, and enjoy the sense of ... belonging.It’d been a long time since he’d woken to feel just so ... good.So right.So ... comfy.

The embrace that held him tightened and he snuggled down, wriggling a little to soak up more of the incredible heat that came from ...

Who?

Who was holding him?

Who was he laying on to of?

Oooh, was Last Night!Bucky a bad boy?

Or had he been a very, very good boy?

He held his breath a fraction of a second, then let go, cracking an eye open to see who he’d ended up in bed with.He didn’t remember clubbing last night, or picking anyone up.In fact, he sort of remembered snow and ...

Steve Rogers.Bucky was laying on top of Steve Rogers, held in the arms of Steve Rogers.Looking at the fine golden lashes of Steve Rogers fanned over the lightly freckled cheeks of Steve Rogers, his own lips inches from the still overgrown muskrat of a mustache and beard bracketing the plush, slightly chapped, and omigod actual lips of Steve Rogers.

Steve Fucking Rogers!

How? Why? When? And did they ...?

“Mmm,” he heard Steve Rogers murmur, his lips smacking as they curved into a smile, and those arms tightened like bands of steel threatening to squeeze the life out of Bucky.

But what a way to go ... Nat would have to forgive him for expiring by Steve Rogers -

And that’s when the day before came back to Bucky in UHD clarity.More or less.

They’d watched the movie on Steve’s laptop, sat on the coffee table so they could enjoy their spiked hot chocolate, each of them curled up under colorful afghans pulled from the back of of the very comfy couch.It was a big couch, deep and wide, perfect for a man of Steve’s size.Perfect for a man of Steve’s size plus Bucky.He remembered pausing the movie to make more hot chocolate, this time with a different candy from Steve’s stash.They spiked that liberally, too, and the night sort of ... fritzed out..They’d had some more.Then they just drank whiskey, getting sloppier and sillier together, leaving the laptop running as they leaned in toward each other ... and that’s where his memory went on pause.At some point, they’d both fallen asleep, and ended up ... together.

It felt good.It felt great, if he was being honest with himself.Steve was everything Bucky had fantasized him to be - he even smelled good, even with all that travel, all rumpled and overgrown.If this were real, this would be Bucky’s happiest moment, waking up in the arms of the man he ... crushed on.He couldn’t really love Steve, he didn’t know Steve.But he wanted to.Oh, how he wanted to.He’d been wanting to for too many years now, really.

And it wasn’t like he was there under false pretenses - he’d told Steve exactly why he was there and why.The fact that they clicked ... that wasn’t fake.He hadn’t been anyone but himself the whole time he’d been with Steve.Even the fake boyfriend act for Riley’s sake hadn’t strayed outside the limits of reality.And when they’d gotten back in the truck thing, they hadn’t had an audience.So Steve’s smiles, his teasing, they weren’t for anyone’s benefit but their own.

So maybe, just maybe, this could be real.For a few minutes more.He closed his eyes and let himself drift back to sleep, held in arms he longed to call home.

&&&

Steve felt Bucky stir, and quickly schooled his features to relaxation, to mimic sleep, so he wouldn’t spook him.He didn’t remember the exact moment he’d held Bucky in his arms, but when he’d woken earlier to find himself cradling him against his chest, he’d felt a soul-deep satisfaction, of rightness. 

They may have never met at the publishing house, but that didn’t mean that Steve had never noticed Nat’s right-hand man.And he knew that Nat noticed him noticing.But he’d pushed back on her suggestion that she introduce the two of them - Steve w ould never expect a New Yorker, a city guy, to want to live out here where Steve felt he could breathe.Steve might’ve been born and raised in Brooklyn, but after his stint in the Army, after life had had its way with him, he’d searched for somewhere with a slower pace, with open skies and space.And he’d found this place, made his friends, built the life here that he’d financed with his books and his art.So he’d never introduced himself to James, never sought anything from him.Never let himself have anything more than a crush, at a distance.

And he knew that Nat had honored that choice, never putting either of them in the path of the other.

Until now.She knew how he felt about contracts, knew the trouble he’d had with his previous publisher, knew he’d walked away from his earliest creation when he’d discovered the contract he had stripped him of rights to it.He had enough money he could fight that contract now, could probably get his first book back.But he’d moved on.And he thought that Nat was good with that.

So just why had she sent the very man she knew he was attracted to, to get him to do the one thing he’d told her he’d never do?

He’d get to the bottom of it, but for now, he was a selfish man, a lonely man.And there was a beautiful man in his arms, and he meant to enjoy it while he could.Maybe this wasn’t real.But who knew?Maybe it could be ...

&&&


	4. In the Bright Light of Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which admissions are made ... and discoveries too.

When Steve woke next, it only took him a moment to recognize the Bucky-sized hole in his bubble of warmth, alone on the couch, but with the throw tucked up over his shoulder.Still, it made Steve smile - it had been a long time since anyone had thought to tuck him in.

He still hadn’t opened his eyes, instead letting his other senses inform him, and his smile grew - he could smell coffee.And bacon?

He honestly couldn’t remember someone making coffee before he got up, and no one had made him breakfast, not since ... well, not in a long time.

He opened his eyes then, and took in the living room - the laptop still sat on the coffee table, but it had been closed and moved back from the edge.The fire - which he was sure had burned out hours ago - was crackling merrily, a stack of wood piled up neatly to the side.The morning light was subdued, filtered through the continuing curtain of snow that swirled beyond the house. 

“You might want to rethink any plans you had to be out and about today,” he heard then, and right behind, a waft of ambrosia, fresh coffee making its way to him without effort.“Hope you don’t mind.I woke up and kinda made myself at home,” Bucky added, coming around to the front of the couch.

Steve sat up then, letting the throw tumble down his front as he raised both hands for the mug that Bucky held out.“If it means you make me coffee, you can make your home here permanently!” Steve breathed as he took a sip and let his eyes flutter shut as a soft moan escaped his chest.It wasn’t just coffee - it was laced with some of that amazing hot chocolate Bucky had made last night.“I changed my mind.Marry me,” he added, wide-eyed. 

“Uh -“

Steve glanced up over the heavenly beverage and realized that Bucky was blushing furiously, taking a stumbling step backward.

“No, hey, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable - it’s a joke, I don’t mean -“

“Oh, oh, I thought maybe ... yeah.Sorry.There’s bacon and eggs.I hope you don’t mind I rummaged -“

Steve set the mug down and stood slowly then, watching Bucky carefully.Hopefully.“You thought maybe what, Buck?”

They were practically facing off with each other now, Bucky looking fresh and delicious, Steve sleep-rumpled and well past his hygiene sell-by date.Steve realized suddenly that Bucky must have showered, his hair damp at the edges, his face looking freshly scrubbed and moisturized.As he stood there waiting for Bucky’s response, Steve’s brain went a little offline at the idea that Bucky was naked in his house, mere steps from where Steve had slumbered.

“It’s nothing, Steve -“

Steve couldn’t have stopped the hand that reached out for Bucky’s if he’d tried.He felt Bucky’s hand tense, pull back, and then settle under Steve’s grip - gentle, able to break, but still firm, entreating.He hoped.

“It’s not nothing, Bucky.What did you think?”

Bucky lifted his gaze from Steve’s hand covering his and looked directly into Steve’s eyes.“I thought maybe you meant it.That you might ...” he paused and took a deep breath, “ that you might be ... interested.”

“Oh,” Steve breathed then, feeling fluttery and floaty.“Oh.Is that something you‘d be ... interested in?”

The eyes that focused on him were open, vulnerable, hopeful.Braced for hurt.Steve thought his expression might look much the same.

Then a nod, small, decisive, brave.Putting it all on the line.

Steve felt the smile burgeoning across his face, warming from his toes all the way to his eyes.“I’d like that too.”

And then he was blinded by the smile that shone out from Bucky’s soul.

Why had he denied himself, both of them, so long?

Well, no longer.

If asked, he wouldn’t have been able to say who initiated their first kiss, whether Bucky pressed in against him or he reached to pull him closer. 

If asked, he wouldn’t have been able to say it was a perfect first kiss - his lips were chapped from mouth-breathing in the night, his mouth tasted horrible, and he was sure his breath was even worse, but Bucky’s lips were soft and supple, minty fresh, lips laced with that incredible chocolate-coffee combination, and he was warm and strong as he slotted himself against Steve.

If asked, he wouldn’t have been able to say how he ended up on his back again on the couch, covered in Bucky as they kissed each other with enthusiasm.

However, if asked, he could definitely say that it was him who dumped Bucky on the floor when the smoke alarm went off, warning that the wonderful breakfast Bucky had made had continued to cook until the bacon was a charred ruin.

They looked at each other, and started to laugh.

So, yeah, if asked, Steve would have to say that their first kiss was pretty fucking wonderful.

&&&

“Save the remains - Furi’ll eat it.” Steve peered out the window into the steady snowfall.“I’m gonna have to go out later, get Riley’s pup.Then I can bring Furi and Maria home.”

“Is it safe?” Bucky asked as he broke up the burnt bacon into a container he’d found in the cupboard while a fresh batch sizzled on the stove.He’d also restarted the eggs since the first round had gotten a little more crispy than either of them liked.

“I’ll be fine,” Steve shrugged, frowning at the accumulation outside the window.

“Why am I not convinced?” Bucky asked as he snapped the lid on and came around the counter to stand by Steve.He slid his hands around Steve’s waist, and Steve decided this was his new favorite thing, after kissing Bucky.So he turned around in Bucky’s embrace and did just that.

They traded lazy kisses for a moment before Bucky pulled away and said, “I’m not burning another pound of bacon, no matter how good you kiss,” he whispered with a smile.

“You like the way I kiss?” Steve teased, linking his hands behind Bucky’s back, penning him in.

“Almost as much as I like bacon.Now let me go, heathen, so I can finish making you breakfast.”

Reluctantly, Steve let Bucky go, smiling as he moved easily around the kitchen.Steve liked seeing him in his space, liked having him close.He’d dreamed of this for so long, and now that it was real, it felt ... right.

Even if it was only temporary.

Bucky looked up at him then, and Steve’s sudden brush with reality must have shown on his face.“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit.I was honest with you.Your turn.”

“I’ve been interested in you for a long time.”

“Oh?Well, back atchya.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah.I’ve kinda had a crush on you since the first time I saw you in the office,” Bucky admitted with a shrug and a blush that Steve was rapidly becoming addicted to.He placed the bacon on paper towels to wick away the grease, and shook his head.“I really should’ve baked this, but ... unburnt bacon,” he brandished the plate with a grin.“Eggs’re nearly redone.Come sit down.”

Steve was still standing there, staring dumbly at Bucky, silent, and finally Bucky looked at him worriedly.“Steve?”

“You liked me?” Steve finally choked out.

“Um, yeah.Is that okay?”

“Did Nat know?”

“Yeah.She’s my best friend, not just my boss.So yeah, I tell her everything.”

“Did she ever say anything about me?”

“About you personally?Um, no.”Bucky rubbed the back of his neck with a frown.“I mean, you know, I told her I thought you were ... well, kinda perfect.She asked me if I was going to do anything about it, and I said no.I mean, I’m not a partner, but I do have a stake in the company.I wasn’t about to ... endanger ... our working relationship with you for no good reason.”

“And now?”

“Now you’re not a fantasy.You’re real. And you’re really interested.Right?I mean -“

The slightly panicked expression on Bucky’s face finally forced Steve to move.And move he did, crossing the kitchen so that he was standing right there, one hand on Bucky’s waist, the other cradling his cheek.“Yes.I have been for a long time.I told Nat ... years ago,” he admitted, closing his eyes with a touch of anger at himself, “and I asked her not to say anything.I was happy admiring you from afar.But I was afraid ...”

“Afraid?” Bucky repeated softly.

“You’d never want to be here.Here where I live.I thought -“

“What?” Bucky’s question was little more than a breath.

“That you could never want me.”

“You definitely get the award for having all the stupid, Steve,” Bucky smiled then, lifting his hand to press it against Steve’s hand on his cheek.“And now?”

“Now you’re here, and you look like you belong.”

The smile that formed on Bucky’s face then was slow and sweet like molasses.With maybe a hint of spice.

“At least the bacon is out of the pan,” Bucky replied, and leaned up to kiss Steve again.

&&&

Making out in the kitchen was followed by tangling their ankles under the table while they wolfed down reheated eggs and slightly greasy cooled bacon, and more of Bucky’s chocolate-coffee concoction (it wasn’t really mocha, but something uniquely his, dictated by the contents of Steve’s fridge).Then some more making out on the couch.Finally, Steve announced regretfully that he needed to get on the road to pick up Riley’s puppy.They released each other and Steve stood up to get his cold weathergear.

“Do you want me to go with you, or would you rather I dug out an area for Furi to do her business?” asked Bucky from where he still sat on the sofa.

Steve turned from where he was shrugging on his jacket. “Oh. My. God.I meant what I said earlier.Will you marry me?”

A faint gasp, and then Bucky answered solemnly, quietly, “When you’re ready to ask for real, I think my answer would be yes.”

Steve stared at Bucky in stunned silence.He opened his mouth to say something, and snapped it shut.And stared some more. 

“Sorry, that was presumptuous of me, chalk it up to the Hallmarkishness of the moment -“

“No.”

“No?”

“No, it wasn’t presumptuous of you. And yes.I’m gonna hold you to that.When I’m ready to ask you for real.Which maybe I am, sort of.But not yet, no.But ... would you be okay living here?”

Bucky smiled gently and shrugged.“Why not?I can do my job anywhere.I frequently telecommute.But aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves here?”

“Are we?”

“Well ... maybe?” Bucky’s answer sounded weak even to him.

“But ... can you tell me the truth?” Steve asked suddenly, and Bucky furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Truth?”

“About why Nat sent you.Why she wants that contract so badly.”

Bucky was silent for a long moment, and then he finally nodded once.“Sit down, Steve.Nat’s gonna be pissed at me, but hell, I think there’ve been enough secrets keeping us apart.”

&&&


	5. With a Little Help from My Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which more truths are shared, allies are enlisted, and plans are made. And a future is made possible.

Clint Barton unwound his scarf, shrugged off his coat, and tossed both into his visitor’s chair before straightening his vest and tugging his tie loose.With a deep breath, he slumped in his expensive swivel chair and allowed himself a moment to dream of lofty peaks and wide open spaces, high above the ground and where he could see for miles in all directions.Then he glanced out his window on the 78th floor in a Manhattan high rise, to see the tall building facing his, and decided, once again, that he was in the wrong business for his temperament.

Then he stabbed the programmed Skype call icon on his laptop and greeted, “Heya, Steve.So, I got the scoop!”

&&&

“Dammit!Did you know?”

Steve was throttling his phone so tightly, Bucky came over and gently pried his fingers open to lift the device out of his hand, and placed it on the coffee table.

He looked directly into Steve’s eyes and shrugged.“I knew there was a threat, but Nat didn’t go into great detail.Hammer’s always been a wild card - he’s been pushing for Nat to start a porn line just for him ever since he took his spot on the board.”

Steve scrubbed his hand over his mouth and made a pained sound.“His uncle was a good man.Abraham was one of the best.”Then he sat down heavily, with a whoosh and a sigh.

Bucky sat next to him, and laid his hand on Steve’s shoulder before he started to gently massage the knot there.“Yeah, unfortunately Justin’s his only heir, so he inherited everything.Justin Hammer is a douchey, crotch-grabbing manchild who now sits on the boards of a number of small companies like ours.Ethical firms serving under-served niches.He’ll gut them and piss on the remains if he’s not stopped.”

Steve sniffed and pursed his lips tightly. “Yeah, he’s a problem.But it’s who he’s gonna sell to that’s the bigger threat.”

Bucky pulled his hand back and rubbed it up and down his own thigh.“Pierce?He’s a shark.”

“He’s the reason I don’t do contracts.”

Bucky shifted back in his seat, his lips parted.“Your first book.”

Steve nodded.“His contract was so stifling, my only option was to walk away and leave it behind.I can’t ever write those characters again - I can’t even mention them in interviews.He owns the copyright - all the rights.I didn’t know what I was signing, but the contract has my signature on it.”

“We can fight that, you know.Maybe it’s time someone did.I’d take it on pro bono just for the chance to neuter that asshole.”

Steve looked at Bucky for a long moment, silent, considering.Then he asked gravely, “Why did Nat send you?You specifically?Did she do it because she knew how I felt about you?Were you supposed to seduce me or something?”

Bucky reared back slightly, then reached to put his hand on Steve’s shoulder again, nudging him so Steve swiveled to face him.Then he touched his fingers to Steve’s chin, to lift it slightly so they were eye to eye.“Hey, come on - no.She sent me because contracts are what I do.”

Steve grimaced mulishly.“She could’ve come herself.Told me the truth.”

“I think it was the Pierce angle, to be honest,” Bucky answered, stroking his thumb through the soft hairs of Steve’s properly groomed beard.“Knowing Nat, she wanted to spare you that.I can see her thinking that if you signed the contract with her - with her, not the company - then she’d have collateral for a loan so she could buy Justin out.That would give her controlling interest, alongside my ten per cent.That would keep Pierce out.”

Steve shook his head.“She’s wasted time.Pierce could still get Hammer’s shares while she’s diddling with the bank.Hell, he could go after Odinson’s, too. For all we know, he’s already approached him.But if I pull my books, the company is less attractive.And I can do that because I don’t have a contract binding me.”

“And go where?” Bucky asked, his expression showing genuine interest.

Steve shrugged.“I don’t need to publish anymore books.I have enough.”

“Or, you could work with Nat and do an end run on Pierce.Deny him the thing he wants.Keep Nat.Keep the company intact.”

“Deny Pierce ... hmmm,” Steve replied with a slowly growing smile.“That sounds like a worthwhile enterprise.”

&&&

“Wait, what?” Clint Barton squeaked, peering more closely at the image on his screen where Steve Rogers was Skyping with him.

“I want all of it.”

“But -“

“Clint, you’re my financial guy.Are you telling me I can’t afford it?”

“No-o-o-o-o ... no, you got the scratch for it, Steve.But why?”

“Why not?”

“Well, it’s not gonna empty the bank by a long stretch, but what do you need it for?”

“So Alexander Pierce can’t have it.”

“Ah.Gotcha.Okay, then.Good to have a goal, Steve.”

“And another thing, Clint.Once it’s done, I want you to be the one to break it to Natasha.Make an appointment with her for a dinner meeting.Break the news gently over some good wine.”

“Steve, you know I can’t talk to her ...”

“Why not?”

“You know!”

“So you’re acting on my behalf.I can’t be there because we’re snowed in here.We can’t afford to wait on this, Clint.I need you to act fast, and deliver the goods.Can you do that?”

“Acting on your behalf.So, not really me, right?I can be ... not disastrous.Smooth, even.Channeling you, right?”

“Clint, you can be anything you wanna be.But first, be a hero and get this taken care of now, so we all have reason to celebrate later.”

“Yeah.Okay, yeah.Okay if I pull Bruce into this?He was pretty sure he could talk Odinson around.He’s good people when he’s not soused.And that new girlfriend of his seems to be helping him stay that way.Figure we bring her into the family, we got a lock on his stock.Oooh, I made a rhyme!”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a poet.And I agree, it’s worth a shot.Now, I’m trusting you with this, Clint.And I know you can do it so I’m gonna let you get on with it.Call me if anything happens, one way or another, right?I want progress reports.”

Clint sat forward in his chair, arms resting on the surface.He drew in a steadying breath and nodded.“Right.I won’t let you down, Steve.But the meeting with Nat -“

“I’ll text you details on her favorite restaurant,” Barnes piped up grinning, his chin resting on Steve’s shoulder.“I’ll give you the whole rundown on what she likes.What she doesn’t.She’s gonna love you, man.”

The words made Clint squeak again, and there were Barnes and Rogers chuckling like the chuckling chuckleheads they were as they waved goodbye and ended the call.He was happy for Steve, he really was.But Steve knew that Clint had been carrying a torch for Natasha Romanoff since the moment he met her ten years ago.About as long as Steve’d been mooning over Barnes, in fact. 

Steve deserved his happily ever after.

But while Barnes and Rogers looked cute together in a kind of cuddly, hot dude kind of way, Nat was just way out of his league.Way, way, way out.But he could do this.He could take her to dinner and share good news with her, eat and drink wine, and maybe even have a conversation with her.For Steve.As a small smile touched his lips, he let himself whisper in his mind, and maybe for himself too.

&&&

After the last call with Clint, Steve and Bucky had checked in with Sam to let him know they’d be leaving Furi and Maria another night at their place, and Sam was grateful for the update.He told Steve that Riley was having a really good day, and he didn’t want it disrupted unless absolutely necessary.

After that call, they settled into making dinner, and then making out, plundering each other as they laid together on the big couch.Neither was quite ready to take their relationship to the next physical level, not yet, but the promise was there, waiting for them both to feel the time was right.So there had been pauses, breaks, moments to catch their breaths and get their bodies under control.But they inevitably gravitated back to each other, falling asleep in each other’s arms, this time in Steve’s big bed.

For the first time, Steve felt like his bed was just right, especially now that Bucky had joined him.Whispers in the dark took on the quality of vows, as they spoke in low voices about Bucky relocating not just to the area, but to Steve’s house on the slope.

In the morning, Steve grinned as he pointed out that one of the benefits of living on the side of a mountain that was part of a ski resort meant that clearing the road you lived on was somebody’s urgent priority.The day was clear and bright, and the road beyond the house was cleared down to the pavement.

Which meant that by the time secrets had been shared, plans had been made, and kisses had been had (again), more cuddles had been enjoyed through the night, and Bucky had once more gifted Steve with coffee and breakfast, the road was blessedly clear for Steve to set out to collect Furi’s little brother for Riley.He was running a day late, but the delay had proved to be both beneficial and enjoyable.Little Max’s breeder had been glad to reschedule the pickup since they were still locked in by drifts and blowing snow.Steve and Bucky had been able to spend time together enjoying each other’s company.

After breakfast, Steve and Bucky had worked together to clear an area near the house where Furi could do her do, while leaving enough in place that she could leap and frolic and roll around in snow to her doggy heart’s content.

There was no reason for Bucky to remain behind, so he accompanied Steve on his quest.

They stopped first at the Potts Inn, where they let Pepper know that Bucky would not be using his reservation after all.Bucky had been concerned that she’d be unhappy, but when she saw how they were together, fingers tangling like they couldn’t be separated from each other, she’d been delighted.Steve was less so when she announced that she’d let the ladies of town know that Steve was now attached - until she pointed out that with him off the market, the ladies of town would stand down from their efforts to pair him off with nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and any and all appropriate single parties. 

“I don’t know what half of them are going to do with their spare time.I’m grateful they can’t target me - Tony may be a walking mess half the time, but he’s my walking mess, after all.And I will accept no substitutes,” she added with an impish grin.

Then they were off to the breeder to collect their rambunctious and adorable nephew to be.Steve had adopted Furi as a pup from them a couple of years ago, so there wasn’t a lot of indoctrination to be done, so after holiday pleasantries and promises to share photos on social media, they were off again, this time with little Max yipping excitedly as he tried to bestow doggy kisses all round.

The road to Sam and Riley’s was much less harrowing than it had been their first night together, and the walkway was freshly shoveled when they arrived at the door with the squirming pup.Steve rapped on the door three times, and it was only a moment before Sam wrenched the door open, his face betraying his impatience and excitement.

“Get your asses in here before you let all the warm out!” he encouraged, and they came into the house to the sound of Furi’s happy barks.Max had to join in, and Riley’s eyes widened comically.

“Merry Christmas, Riley,” Steve said then, holding out the wriggling, barking puppy.“Meet Max!”

Sam joined Riley as he took the dog reverently, attempting to cradle the pup until Max just squirmed right out of his arms to run around Furi, barking his doggy greeting.Sam circled Riley’s waist with his arm and tugged him close, kissing the side of his head while his husband watched, rapt, while the dogs played together.

Then he turned toward Steve and Bucky, tears in his eyes, and said, “Really?He’s mine?”

“Yours, Riley.Yours to take care of, yours to train.Yours to keep him company.We’ll help in any way we can, but he’s yours.”

Riley’s smile was blinding, and then he dropped cross-legged to the floor to play with both dogs.

“We, huh?You move fast, Rogers,” Sam said as he came over to give his friend a hug.

“Turns out the pair of us have been pining for each other for about a decade.Amazing what can happen when you finally get a chance to meet and talk,” Bucky said then, craning to plant a kiss on Steve’s cheek.

“Yeah, don’t make it weird. Well, I’m glad for you both.So what’s that mean, though - you’re in New York, you’re here,” he pointed to Bucky, then Steve.

“Well, I’m gonna be moving here,” Bucky started to say, as both his and Steve’s phones started ringing.“Oh, it’s Nat - I better take this.Is there a place -“ he started to ask, but Sam pointed him toward the kitchen, while Steve took a step outside as he mouthed, “It’s Clint!” on his way out.

&&&

“What did you do?” Nat demanded.

“What do you think I did?” Bucky countered.

“I’m having dinner with Clint Barton.To celebrate.”

“Well, that explains why Clint called Steve, then.”

“You told him!”

“I had to, Nat.And that’s not all I told him.”

“Clint said you two looked cute together.”

“Is that why you sent me here?For me’n Steve to get together?”

“I sent you there to do you job, which you failed miserably at, I might add.But I did kind of hope.I mean, putting you two in the same place for professional reasons, I did hope you’d find a way.And you did.”

“Because we were honest with each other.And we’e gonna continue doing that.Because I’m moving here.To live with Steve.”

“Well, we might wanna get HR involved, you know.To ensure there are no conflicts of interest.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.After all, he’s now majority shareholder.He bought out both Hammer and Odinson.James, he’s your boss.”

“No, Nat.He’s much more than that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.He’s my person.”

“I’m happy for you, James.Tell Steve thank you for me.For the buyout.And for Clint.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.He just might be my person, too.”

“So.We both get a happily ever after.”

“Just like in those stupid movies you love so much.”

“Nothing stupid about love, Nat.”

“I guess I’m gonna find out.I have to run - I need to get ready.And thanks for telling Clint where to take me - I appreciate the assist, but I’ve got it from here on out.”

“Likewise,” Bucky agreed, smiling as Steve came into the kitchen, pocketing his phone as he grinned wide and bright at him.“I gotta run, too.Got somebody waiting for me.Nat says thanks, by the way,” he added for Steve’s benefit.

“You’re welcome, Nat!” Steve caroled then, but his attention was focused on Bucky.“Talk to you later, Nat,” he added, and Bucky smiled, calling out a farewell before he thumbed off the call.“So.I’m your person, huh?”

“Heard that, did you?”

“I like that better than boyfriend.It suits us.Ready to help me corral the kids and go home?”

“Already?I thought we were staying for dinner.”

“Sam made up plates for us.This’ll give Riley some time to bond with Max.And it’ll give us more time to bond, too.”

“Guess I’m gonna have to learn how to share you, huh?”

“The kids’re pretty self-sufficient.They’re gonna love you.”

It wasn’t time for them to make declarations yet, but the promise of them was there, ringing between them like the church bells that would ring out the midnight mass to come.So Steve and Bucky collected Furi and Maria, bundled them into the vehicle, and made their way back to Steve’s house.

Home for the holidays.And so much more.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so pleased at the welcome this story has received. I really enjoyed doing this challenge, and look forward to the HEA Marvel - Harlequin Hoopla.
> 
> Thank you for your kudos, your bookmarks, your comments, and your enthusiasm. Thank you for making 2019 such a great year for me. Here’s to 2020 and more great Stucky!

**Author's Note:**

> So ... yeah. Match made in heaven and all that. The final story has to be complete by 24Dec19, and I have some specific ideas of what needs to happen. Trust that the boys will send me on detours and roundabouts on the way. But stick with me, yeah?


End file.
